Scott Elkin

thank you for your review on security systems. I had did a little research on home security systems – wireless sometime time ago, and never pursued it. (x10 was one i had checked out) I am interestred in purchasing a system soon and was wondering if you have installed yours, how it went, and if your as happy with it as you thought you’d be? How about the monthly monitoring fee? Any input your willing to give i would appreciate.

I like you article about home security systems. How easy/difficult to run the wiring for this? I am building a house and need to get the wiring in.

Obviously, the keypad has to be wired, but I have no idea how to do this. Any ideas?

I read your review of the different systems available and I would like to know what you ordered exactly to protect your home, because I was with Pinnacle and they were bought out by ADT and we are no longer under contract. Because of this they are only giving us the bare bones of service. I would like to get a new system and I just don’t know what to purchase exactly. F Y I our sensors are taped to the doors because the glue they used melted in the desert heat and Pinnacle suggested we use gorilla glue to keep the sensors up. Please give me some advice.

Thanks for the information… Very helpful.

Hi there, thanks for that thorough review. I’m wondering if you already installed your system, and if you did it yourself. If so, how’s it working? We are interested in installing ourselves. We also have no land or VOIP line and are looking for a monitoring company who can work with that.

Thanks again for the helpful post!

So why didn’t you like protect america? What turned you off from them?

is this monitoring you quoting Two Way Voice or is the standard digital where you actually have to answer the phone. I also thought you had to have a dcjs liscence to install security equipment that was being monitored

Scott,
Did you finally go with SafeMart? If yes, how do you like it? $9 is such a low price that it hard to believe the company is reliable.

I use a Radio Shack X-10 wireless security system, but it is no longer available. Sounds like it is identical to the Simon ST system. I pay no monthly fee because I have my system call my son’s home and give them a pre-recorded message. Thanks for your excellent review. I now know where to go for my next replacement system.

Thank you for this analysis Scott. It is very helpful.

I am currently evaluating switching my ADT system. I think your audience should be aware of some of the gotchas in their “service”. Some details: I pay apprx. $120/month for their monitoring service. They do a very good job of monitoring but what they do not tell you is that they do not have an agreement with the local police and fire departments to respond. I found this out when I was on a trip overseas. I got a call from ADT telling me my alarm was on and would I like them to contact the police. (I thought this was odd, because I thought this is what I was paying for). I said yes. They called me back and said the police would not respond unless I was also there. Again, very odd. You may imagine my frustration at the absurdity of all this.
1. I am paying for a service to have them dispatch police when my alarm goes off.
2. They tell me I have to be present when the police arrive. I am in China or who knows where, so what good is the service? Even if I was 15 minutes away, this would be plenty of time for a thief to clean me out.
3. Here is the icing on the cake……….I called the police directly to complain when I returned. They told me they have no agreement with ADT to respond and do not feel obligated to do so. They went on to say that ADT should not have represented their service this way to me and rudely told me that my problem is with ADT false representations and not them.

So in my estimation ADT should be sued for false advertising or at the very least be exposed as lying to the public about their service.

I have an alarm system that I can simply walk into any house and plug this device into the wall wait 30 seconds an now every door skylight and window are now armed no wires or contacts needed, I can set this so if someone simply just taps on the window from the outside it will go out and jiggles the door to see if it is unlocked it will go off…. then i bought an auto dialer to go with it the auto dialer will call up to 10 numbers you can set it up to a monitoring company or just to the police station I have mine set up to mine and my wifes cell phone so I can personally call the police and not have to pay a monitoring fee email me at joemoho21687@yahoo.com for more information

EXCELLENT article on Wireless Alarm Systems.

Thank you.

Just an FYI any security company will earn the money back over the contract term! here in canada where I live some companies give the alarm system away for free and charge you like 30 bucks a month over like 3, 5 and 7 years. it will only cost like 3 to 5 bucks for them to have it monitored. that 9 bucks that was mentioned is good but read the fine print what will they and will they not do if the alarm sounds. as for wireless systems GSM set up is the best overall as it has better reliability, well so I have been told by my step father who has installed every type of system you can think of including government systems. hope this helps.

Scott,

Any luck on having babies? Congrats if you did!! : ) And thanks for this article. You did a lot of research, and everyone who reads your blog appreciates it.

Did you by any chance look into the X10? I want a system with surveillance that I can also control with my android phone.

It just occurred to me about 2 weeks ago that why do I need to pay for monitoring, when setting off a motion sensor will trigger the control panel to call me, send screen captures to my droid, and i can decide to call 911 or not.

Plus some security systems do the whole home automation thing, like you can use your android phone to turn on lights, or other appliances. And watch any of your cams remotely from any computer w internet. Kinda techno-nerdy and probably overkill, but sounds like the way of the future.

Anyhow… any thoughts on X10 ?

Thanks!
Leah

The SecureLinc system is FAR better than the Simon system. Take a look at it. i am buying mine today.

what about Insteon with smarthome. Seems like it has them all beat. I’m looking for one now.

Oh, and thank you for doing this blog. Very interesting and it led me to find the insteon system, which is my choice to purchase at this time.

So Scott, we have a brinks system that is already installed. All of the doors/windows are not wired with any sensors and we want to add them on. Do you have to go through brinks/broadview to get the additional sensors or will this website store that you’re talking about carry the same things as Brinks and be compatible with the current system?

I don’t understand how to configure a system to operate without a land line. Can you direct me to specific info?

In my town, the police will not come out unless there is a confirmed crime act reported by the security company, that’s why security companies have those patrol cars (outsourcing or not) to respond as a first line of defense.

You might end up having to call the police yourself wasting even more time.

Thanks for the review. It was informative.

I’m a bit confused here… Most home security review sites recommend Protect America. Has anyone used SafeMart and Protect America give a recommendation of their experience.

Scott, Also, it sounds like you chose SafeMart because they were nice to you; are you still using SafeMart? If so, how is it so far?

Thanks,

Great Info. Thanks for doing all the leg (googling) work for us. My only question is why after all that time and effort you have not installed a system to protect those babies?? God Bless. Jim

Are you still able to do that SafeMart option and have the system connected to your cell phone? I don’t have a land line.

one thing that people fail to take into consideration is ADT is the only company the government trust to monitor their buildings. They are the only company with more then one montoring center. These other companies with only one montoring center can’t guarentee a response every time. How could they? If their center is down due to power,maintence,ect. nobody is monitoring your system. Think about that. Sure you can pay $9 a month for one little center with five employees montoring your home. I prefer to know that I am alway monitored no matter what. Security is one thing you don’t want to go cheap on. Its kind of sad most people will pay more for cable or satellite tv then they will for reliable grade a security.

DO NOT go with ADT EVER. We had ADT for three years, and whenever something in the house happened e.g. low battery, we got a call from them. Ok, so far so good.

But last week I was back i the States and my wife was away and we were burglarized. ADT called 10 minutes after the alarm, went of and when they finally reached my wife asked if they should call the police?!!?!!? Duh!

It turns out they dispatched a local guard (it took an additional 15 minutes to dispatch the guard and another 15 minutes for the guard to show up. By this time the thieves had their way and we are out $15K of goods. Admittedly it could have been worse, but for the thousands we paid ADT this is certainly not worth it. To make matters worse, they just sent us a bill for the guard to arrive on the scene!! Can you believe that?

FYI, ADT owns the web domain ADTsucks.com and ADT-sucks.com What does that tell you?

Scott, thanks for the information. You sure did a good job of compiling all this information. It’s going to save me a lot of time. I think i will go with your recommendation of the GE wireless system and just add on as needed. I think I will also get my stuff from SafeMart. Good luck with the kids.

i have ADT system that is not hooked up into the local law enforcement i need to buy a box that will call my cell-phone or my wife when the larm goes off. can anyone help me?

Scott, if only more folks were as diligent as you in both researching purchase options and then documenting it for the benefit of other!

Most of the folks that you reviewed are the large national home security companies. In my experience, if you live in a major US city, you can find smaller local firms that will install and monitoring for about half the prices that you are quoting above. Not quite as low as the SafeMart monitoring rates, but this option may be a better deal for folks like yourself who prefer a turn key solution.

there are lots of cheap home security gadgets that you can buy online these days, i can find most of them from ebay ‘::

Scott,

This is a spectacularly well thought out article. I know it’s quite a while after you wrote it, but you or your readers may also be interested in Simplisafe (http://simplisafe.com) or LifeShield (http://lifeshield.com). Both companies offer similar wireless all-in-one security systems. SimpliSafe promotes its systems to people living in apartments, which is a great use for such systems.

Doc,

What you are referring to is known as “self-monitoring” and a Google search will turn up lots of information. There are a number of pros and cons to this approach. The biggest pro is that it saves you money. The downside is that it requires YOU to be a reliable monitoring service.

Hope this helps!

dave

Scott,

Great stuff. I went with SafeMart.com and they are fantastic! I got the Simon XT and some accessories. Their Sales Team set me up with exactly what I needed and nothing more. I also went with their Interactive Monitoring as well. If you do some research on their website, you will find this (http://www.safemart.com/Alarm-System-Monitoring.html) video that is very educational, at least I thought it was. Their central station is apparently ADT’s largest competitor in the independently owned “sphere” too.

I strongly recommend SafeMart. You don’t always get what you pay for, just ask ADT customers! but in this case you do. I’ve always been happy with the effective communication with the people at SafeMart so, take it from a guy who knows and at least give them a shot. I did and I’m happy I did.

Scott, I hope the kids are doing well. Thanks again for all your work!

God Bless

Joe

Great Article. It is good you have taken the decision to get a security system for your home. Every home needs a security system, so I don’t really know why people wait until their home get burglarized before the start thinking about getting security systems.

Scott, Thanks a lot for this informative article. It will be very useful to people. I did a lot of research before finally getting to your blog, so I hope we can easily find articles like this one on the web.

I found some good home security system articles on this website (http://www.homesecuritysystemsclick.com).

The description of the different types of security systems is useful for consumers because it allows them to choose the most suitable alarm system for their residential or commercial property. Wireless burglar alarms are the most popular alarm systems in the market today. Most consumers prefer these alarms because they are easier to install and are user-friendly.

Does anyone have any experience with or insight into LifeShield (www.lifeshield.com)? This seams like one of the cheapest options for wireless security however I am cautious that you get what you pay for. LifeShield offers a packages which includes the Base, Console, Handset, 8 Sensors, Grid Extender and Key Chain for $299 plus $29.99 a month monitoring. It does require you to install the equipment yourself. Add on equipment is also very reasonable compared to the other companies. Advice would be greatly appreciated!

Protect America called me out of the blue and the guy was extremely pushy and when I put him off and said goodbye, he started calling again and again the next week, I wont answer his calls. There is no way I will go with these guys if he is any indication of how the company is run.

Thanks for the unbiased review. This helped a lot.

Hi Scott,

I’m new to your articles, and I must say that it was very articulate and well written, however I found some differences between your experiences with Protect America and my experiences. I just purchased their home security system. And yes, the three year contract is a pain in the ass but I have to say that was the only downside. Plus, if i fight tooth and nail to get out of it, including filing complaints with the BBB im willing to bet they’ll bend. You are right, to a point, about their representatives. They do try to sell you additional things, but it seemed to be more of a suggestion rather than a command or being pushy. For Example, my rep tried to sell me an additional interior siren. I simply told him that I wasnt interested and that was that. I paid nothing for the platinum package which included 15 window/door sensors, among other things. and I paid $397 for additional sensors and glass break detectors that were completely optional. Overall I think I did pretty well with them. After you saying you can buy your own equipment from safe mart and a $10 monitoring fee, I got mad as I felt I couldve done better. I went on safe mart and priced everything that protect america provided and compared it to what safe mart wouldve cost if I baught the exact same things from them. All the equipment I got from protect america wouldve cost me well over $1000 dollars from safe mart. Plus, a $9 monitoring monthly fee is great, but seems too good to be true. I’m willing to bet theres fine print there (i.e. charges for false alarms, limitations on police dispatching etc…) Let me know what you think as you seem to know your stuff about this. Also, some of my findings were somewhat contrary to yours and I would like to know what you think about that as well. Thank you.

Scott,

I would just like to add a couple more specifics to my last post. I’m paying 46.95/month for wireless broadband monitoring. And the additional equipment that cost me $397 from Protect America were: 2 micro sensors, a motion detector, 2 glass break sensors, 2 key chain controls, and a hideaway key pad. All of the things listed above are $418 on safemart.com. The reason I added those additional things is because i work shift work in public safety and im away from home at work more than im home, so it was important to me to have every inch if my house covered, which the platinum package itself didnt quite do for my home. You stated in your initial article that buying a basic package (as compared to adt, brinks etc..) from safemart was $298. But lets face it, those basic packages wont completely protect your home unless you live in a cardboard box. 1 motion detector, 2-3 window/door sensors is inadequate protection to say the least. To adequately protect an average size home will cost way more than $298 from safemart. So, it seems protect america actually gave me a deal. Yeeaa…$ 9 compared to $46 for monitoring monthly, thats a huge difference. But I think overall I got a good deal.

Thanks for the unbiased straight talk about the subject. A couple questions. First, are in a city, urban or rural area? Would the answer to that lead you to a specific system? Second, the wireless systems, how often do batteries have to be changed? Also, the post by “Ryan” concerning the “Secure Link” system. Have you had the opertunity to review it. Thanks. Jack

Scott,

I read your research into the various systems. It seems like you really compared the different companies very well, however, I am a bit disappointed in the fact that you never actually installed the system you recommended. This, to me, is mind boggling. I don’t understand how you can do all of that research, make recommendations, then not follow through.

Unfortunately I can’t take what you have worked so hard on seriously and I recommend that others follow suit.

Thank you for your post. I was about to sign with Protect America when I saw it. Iwould have been paying $50/month plus $300 upfront. I just ordered the Concord 4 as my existing Concord Express hardware from ADT is compatable with it. Total was $400 ($600 before rebates) and I have my dream system with monitoring as low as $9/month. Of course, I am going with all the bells/whistles monitoring for $29.99 but this would have cost $55 to $60 with everyone else. My two price is $200 to $200 less then everyone else and the savings become exagerated for any duration beyone 2 years, as it is pure savings at that point.

Thank you again for the post, you saved me a lot of time.

Scott,
I just concluded all of my research. As it turns out there are advantages and disadvantages to all of the various security systems and monitoring services out there. For me, I am a DIY’er so I chose to go with Safemart…..like you would have. The upfront costs are going to by substantially higher than say going with ADT, however, the system I get will be much more secure and the monitoring fees will be about $30 less per month. I will break even in about 20 months. Every month after that I will be ahead $30.

I chose Safemart simply because when a person buys the Simon XT system Safemart offers their Plug and Protect service. With this, they pre-program all of the sensors, provide signage, window stickers, and include the 1st month of monitoring free. Take off the 1st month and this only costs about $10.00. That can’t be beat.

I don’t think their customer service was any better or worse than The Home Security Store, but their price for the Simon XT was, even with a 10% discount for HSS. They obviously push this system hard and must have bought bucket loads of GE’s system in order to offer it at a reduced rate. However, if I person truly wants to go as cheap as possible, many of the components can be bought off EBay for much less.

Mike, I have the Simon 3, and just installed a Simon XT for my in-laws. Both system are very easy to install and program. I’m able to dial into either system and arm and disarm with out problems. We use our cell phones to monitor the systems. Both were purchased from SafeMart and I highly recommend them. Good pricing, fast shipping, and excellent tech support when you need it. I’ve had my Simon for about three years, only problem was had to replace backup battery as we have frequent power loss where I live. Let me know if I can be of any assistance.

Thank you, Scott!

I just met with ADT and they gave me a ridiculous estimate to upgrade my system.

It’s interesting that the guy told me that if I want to order a new component to my system, I should just order it online.

However, I should call him directly if I decide to order thebells and whistle package ($499 for existing customrs/$699 for new customers with a monthly monitoring fee of $57.99.
I appreciate all of your research on the matter.

I don’t think so!

I was using Monitronics, and a guy came by from a company known as Vivint, out of Utah. He gave me a big song-and-dance, and I listened to him. Lots of smooth talk, how much cheaper they were, how much better service, police hook-up, the whole bit I agreed to go along, and his team of donkeys came right into my home and dismantled the other “stuff” and installed theirs. He sas such a smooth talker, I didn’t notice the installation cost of almost $2000.00 until I was done. I wrote them the next week to cancel my system. Hope to hear from them in a day or so (after Easter). Plus, they gave me two different passwords, and when I telephoned their office, the guy was arguing with me about which one was correct.

Thanks Scott for the informative research for the rest of the posted articles. Everybodys comment has been very educational for me.

I will check safemart tomorrow. I presently used x10. I have had it over 8 years. The motion sensor is known for false alarms so I got rid of it but NOT the rest of the gadgets (windows and door detectors) since this cost me over $200 years ago.
I do my own monitoring through using my phone. I paid the city only about $35 for 2 years. Of course they can only respond 2-3 x per month I think else they’ll begin to charge you.

I can program it to call my wife up, myself up to 10 phone numbers.

I intalled dummy cameras outside the house and ordered fake sign on the yard. It seem to work but I thank the good Lord for no brake in yet. I do often see suspecious people out there sometimes surveying my home. I’m not paranoid but where I live there are many would be thieves. If you’re not observant, you wont detect them.

Blessings,
ted <>>><<

There are really few systems which will offer comprehensive security. Most of them have the basic package to offer with very limited reliability.

Don’t forget about the now famous 6 second break-in!!Check out
The Garage Shield.It is really simple to install and inexpensive.

I should have read this review before I got with ADT. I have been with ADT for three months now. The other day someone broke in my home meanwhile I was asleep. I called asking why it didn’t go off and their response was: WELL, WE ONLY PUT FOUR SENSOR AND THAT WAS FOR YOUR DOORS. BUT IF YOU LIKE YOU CAN PURCHASE SENSOR FOR YOUR WINDOW. The key pad I have it’s for people who have doors and window sensor and I was told that it would be secure. When I had called to cancel they said I had to pay 75% of my three year contract. I had told them I read the guarantee for six months if not satisfied. The response was WELL, WE APOLOGIZE AGAIN.

This is their money guarantee: http://www.adt.com/wps/wcm/connect/a479d10041359c47836583c0ef0abfd6/L7232-04-ADT-GuaranteeCert4up.pdf?MOD=AJPERES

ADT IS NOT ALWAYS THERE.

There is now a system by DSC called the Alexor that is almost completely wireless. You do have to have a wire for power to the panel and a phone line if you want it to call out, but everything else is wireless.

One thing to be aware of: The term “Central Monitoring”, in my experience, is often over-exaggerated. In the north east US, this often entails a TWO-WAY monitoring between your home and the alarm company’s central office. Therefore, if your phone line IS severed (for any reason), the alarm company will immediately know about it. Think of this as a “heart beat” monitor at the hospital; if you pull of the wires, the nurses are immediately notified on the computer screen located on their desks.

Many companies incorrectly use this term, to their advantage. In most common installations, it’s a ONE-WAY monitoring service where the unit in your home is DIALING (outbound) the alarm company to notify them of the event.

Thanks for all the info and comments. We had a break-in last week, 1st time ever, so now pursuing alarm systems. Can’t do a hard line bc of the way the house is constructed. My hubby is a DIY guy so thanks again!

Scott, great review, and the public responses have provided some very valuable information in this decision process. One question: Why do you have a Protect America banner ad at the top of your web page? It almost appears that your are endorsing their services.

Metro Guardian … sounds suspiciously like Guardian Protection Services. Tweaked name with the same old schlok. (I did desperate telemarketing – harassing people once-upon-a-time for them.)

Scott – thanks for keeping this thread going – it’s informative, even if somewhat dated (2 years old). As a military guy, I’ve lived in quite a few places and used several alarm companies. Never took the plunge on a DIY solution, but am about to do so for my parents. Bottom line, I’ve used ADT [once was enough] – I was gone 3 weeks per month of that time, and realized one day that they had never called when I accidently set it off myself… So I called them and they said they had no record of my system, even though they’d been cashing my checks for 18 months – go figure.

Seems like there’s a serious niche market for post-construction wireless installers/maintainers/monitors. All of your readers had better do their homework – I’ve spent the last few days googling tags related home security systems, and there are tons of sites offering links to links. Lots of these sites use very poor English, and I would imagine those of us who fall for their wares will wind up sending even more US $$$ to Chinese companies – be wary.

If anyone needs service in the Tuscaloosa, AL area, SAFECO is a local family-owned company with great local support (with remote monitoring @ $20/month) – not sure of their coverage outside the city though. In Pittsburgh, PA, I used GUARDIAN. They too are a family-owned business and they were always prompt, courteous, and they had local monitoring station. I paid $30/month. I had BRINKS in DC but never got a call – only there for a year though – system was already installed and I paid $30/month – never spoke to a local rep, but the 800# support was ok. If I had it to do over, I’d still have gone with SAFECO and GUARDIAN, but the rest would probably have been DIY with personal or neighbor notifications.

Thanks again for keeping this thread open. Looks like about three hijacks above, probably by salesmen. Young family? Install a security system, no matter WHO monitors it – that goes for you too, Scott.

This is exactly the kind of comparison I was looking for. The comments are useful and informative, as well. Thank you, all of you.

Hi Scott: Thanks for the review. I am unhappy with ADT because they want $200 to come out and reprogram my alarm system that have used for years. The system will not allow me to add an additional access code. They claim I am using a secondary access code which is will not allow changes. The code has not changed in 25 years. So I started to look around for an alternative and ran across ProtectAmerica. Their web page talks about no up front cost for a self installed system and that is different from your review. What am I missing? Where’s the hidden cost?
Cheers

The Simon was the worst choice you could make. We offer the absolute best monitoring in the industry for only $95.00 per YEAR. NEVER use a nationwide alarm company. Always use a local company that will value your business and service you so they don’t lose you. These local companies all over the country are always your best choice. Our monitoring even includes on-line services. Next time call more local companies for a real comparison.

ADT is perfect UNLESS something is wrong; their battery going out trouble on their keypad, problem in the interior mechanism within the box located in the home that they install. The system continues to beep, and when you call they set up an appointment the following week, IF they have a free time. They then turn off the system at their location and no service until it is CONVENIENT for them to come and find out what is wrong. WHAT KIND OF SECURITY IS THAT? THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT!

Did enyone have any information on Guardian Sec Systam